The Issue Is Not The Plastic

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The issue is the plastic waste and where it ends up, not the plastic itself. Even if it is reused, repurposed, or recycled, it eventually ends up as plastic waste.

Today, ninety-one percent of all plastic ends up in a landfill! That's right! Despite our best efforts, only 9% of all plastic is recycled. 

We use more plastic than we realize. It's not just the plastic that we buy in the stores and use like water and soda bottles, it is also the plastic that is used to wrap cases of bottles we buy in the store, AND the plastic that wraps the pallets of those cases that the store buys from its suppliers.  

Even if we were able to recycle more plastic (which DOES help, so please keep recycling), at some point that bottle, container, or other plastic product can no longer be recycled. Then it becomes plastic waste.  

But right now — today — thanks to PatriotBE, we can make the choice for a sustainable future.

THE FACTS

Since 1950, global annual production of plastics has increased from two million tons to over 381 million tons. Further, approximately one-third of all plastics produced are single-use plastics —  such as garbage bags — designed to be used only once and then thrown away. 

• In the United States, approximately 36 million tons of plastic end up as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) annually;
• About 17% is combusted;
• About 9% is recycled  (91% of plastic isn't recycled); resulting in
• About 74% —27 Million tons — of plastic waste ending up in landfills.

                                               (Source: The US Environmental Protection Agency)

"Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) studies on grocery bags performed in different countries by independent organizations spanning two decades show that plastic is the best choice. Results also show that paper bags, even with 100% recycle content, have significantly higher average impacts on the environment than either reusable bags or single-use plastic retail bags.